famous because they‘re not making Gladiator Strikes Back. Pretty Vacant Woman. or Jurassic Park VI.

Scotland has more than its share of

filmmakers like these; we know. we‘ve met them.

We've met film school students. members of local filmmaking co-operatives. graduates of

flagship national schemes such as Tartan Shorts and the award-winners. We‘ve met writers. directors. producers. animators. editors. composers and cinematographers. everyone from the independents ‘just doing it‘ (as May Miles Thomas did when she shot One Life Stand. the UK's first-ever digital feature. in Glasgow) to the nation‘s next critical and commercial winners (Saul Metzstein and Jack Lothian. whose Glasgow-set debut feature Late Night Shopping so impressed film festival-goers in Berlin).

You may be unfamiliar with these people. but they‘re working all around us; you may even have been an unwitting extra in one of their films. And you can see their handiwork everywhere. at film festivals. supporting features

Saul Metzstein and Jack Lothian’s Late Night Shopping

in cinemas. on (‘hannel 4 and the BB(' (and some of those films not available elsewhere can be seen at exclusive screenings to tie-in with this feature at the ('ameo. lidinburgh on Monday 3t) April and (il’l‘. (ilasgow on 'l‘uesday 1 May - see Film index and listings). You can see the handiwork of these filmmakers and it is extraordinarily good.

So when some captain of culture in a suit harps on about that old chestnut. the renaissance of Scottish cinema. you‘ll be able to say. 'I know how vibrant Scottish lilmmaking is. how about giving these people the support they deserve.‘ Sure. Scotland‘s getting its own film sttidio on the Clyde and at any time there are a number of high profile lilms shooting on location —- such as IWUI‘l‘t’I‘II ('a/lar. Lynne Ramsay’s follow up to RUH'UH'IH’I' — but how about a little attention (production funding. distribution) for what the mainstream film industry has made underground filmmakers?

These are the Ramsays. the John Hodges. Andrew Macdonalds and Danny Boyles. the Peter Mullans. David Kanes and Bill liorsyths and the Oscar-winning Kevin Macdonalds of tomorrow.